Syracuse football links: Wrapping up the Orange's spring practice; how good can Chandler Jones be?

Syracuse Football 2012 Spring GameThe Syracuse Orange football team took to the Carrier Dome field on Saturday for the annual Spring football scrimmage which was won by Team Anselmo 9-0 over Team Moore.

ESPN.com Big East football blogger Andrea Adelson recently examined the spring practices for each of the conference's teams, looking at questions that were answered during the spring as well as questions that went unanswered for each squad.

Sales is back: With Lemon on the sideline because of an injury, Sales seized his opportunity to show what he can do after sitting out last season. He is listed as the starter at one of the receiver spots and had a solid spring, hoping to pick up his play from where he left off in the Pinstripe Bowl against Kansas State.

Among the "fall questions" for the Orange? Who will step up on the defensive line.

Defensive line: Several junior college transfers are coming in the fall to help, but building depth and finding good replacements for Chandler Jones and Mikhail Marinovich on the defensive line remain a priority. Syracuse struggled mightily up front last season, an area that should be a point of emphasis this fall.

Former Syracuse star and recent New England Patriots draft pick Chandler Jones is the focus of an article on the blog for Boston radio station WEEI. Syracuse assistant football coach Tim Daoust talked about Jones and his potential.

“I know that the Patriots have a track record of taking versatile players who are also high-IQ guys, and Chandler fits that mold. He’s an extremely coachable kid who is also very intelligent,” Daoust said. “He’s able to take coaching very quickly when he gets out there on the football field.

“Another thing with Chandler is that a lot of people see the pass-rushing ability, and that’s very important. But at 6-foot-5 with those arms, he’s a long kid when it comes to coverage. I’m not saying he’s ready to drop into coverage now, but he’s a tough target to throw around, and eventually, in a 3-4 scheme, if he’s playing end, I think he can drop into coverage.”